Antonio Silva vs. Roy Nelson slated for UFC 146 in Las Vegas

Roy Nelson’s potential move to light heavyweight will apparently have to wait.

Days after he launched a Facebook campaign in which “Big Country” said enough “likes” would prompt a move down in weight class, UFC officials today announced Nelson (16-7 MMA, 3-3 UFC) instead will fight fellow heavyweight Antonio Silva (16-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

The bout takes place at UFC 146 in May.

UFC 146, which is headlined by heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem, takes place May 26 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view while FX carries the prelims.

Nelson vs. “Bigfoot” likely will be part of the PPV main card, though an announcement hasn’t been made.

For Nelson, a winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 10″ who’s just 1-3 in his past four fights, it’s likely a must-win fight. Following decisions losses to Dos Santos and Frank Mir, Nelson knocked out Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. However, in his most recent bout, the heavy-handed jiu-jitsu ace suffered a decision defeat to another Strikeforce import – Fabricio Werdum – at UFC 143.

Silva, meanwhile, is the latest Strikeforce-to-UFC arrival following the shuttering of his division in the UFC’s sister promotion. The former EliteXC champ and World Victory Road/Sengoku vet went 3-2 in Strikeforce, which included a TKO victory over an undersized Fedor Emelianenko 13 months ago in the first round of Strikeforce’s world heavyweight grand prix. However, in the semifinals, he suffered a knockout loss to injury replacement Daniel Cormier.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.